How does a person’s body manage the Iron Oxides in your SMP pigment?

We do not have any heavy metals or any type of metals in our pigments. Our pigments are purely organic and as a result you don’t have to worry about an MRI which can pull on the pigments and cause redness and pain or have your body react to substances it can not absorb. Many SMP doctors, cosmetologists and tattoists use pigments that contain some dangerous looking stuff in the solutions. We did an analysis of a ‘competitors’ pigment and after it was burned in the lab, the lab found the following material left in the remnants. You judge if this is what you want in your body, not me. This is why we use only organic pigments in our SMP pigments.

If you are correctly wondering why the FDA does not control such substances with potential harm, the answer is that the FDA has told congress that they do not have the funds or the staff to investigate the tattoo industry. Within the United States, 22% of adults have had a tattoo with the type of materials shown in the chart below.


2017-01-17 13:57:32How does a person’s body manage the Iron Oxides in your SMP pigment?

Scalp Micropigmentation (SMP) instead of hair?

If I was to get SMP, would it be pointless staying on meds to keep/grow my hair?

SMP colors your scalp with small tattooed dots, barely the size of a dot from a ballpoint pen, but hair growth is independent. If you stop taking medications like finasteride or oral minoxidil, you will lose all the benefits of the drugs you accumulated over time. Think this through. Do you want the SMP to be your presentation to the world with a shaved head? To do this with SMP alone, your SMP must be meticulously done. I have seen a lot of good SMP with a shaved scalp, which is a reasonable option if it is done well; however, so many of today’s SMP providers just don’t do great work. Be sure to ask to meet some of the SMP patients who shave their heads before going forward with any provider.

SMP: How to pick the clinic

I am considering getting SMP for density at https://getscalpworx.com/ .What should I be looking for to ensure I have the best and safest experience? Thanks!

Ask to meet patients that had it done and look closely at the work. If you can tell its SMP, then stay away from that clinic. Many clinics put large dots on the head and place them few and far between. The SMP stands out in those patients and doesn’t look normal. Look at my SMP done with my staff: https://baldingblog.com/i-just-finished-my-smp-on-my-crown-area-today-see-before-and-after-photos/

It’s good enough for me, so it might be good enough for you.

SMP or FUE first?

If the balding pattern is fully developed would you recommend SMP before a transplant or if it best combined only after the transplant?

I prefer the transplant first and then the FUE after some hair has grown out.

SMP for High Contrast Scalp and Hair

Dr. Rassman,

For patients who have high contrast scalp and hair (ie. dark hair and fair skin). Wouldn’t a combination of SMP and surgery help minimize some of that contrast and maybe achieve a more fuller look?

Yes! It would be advantageous to complement the scalp micro-pigmentation (SMP) with a hair transplant for a full and realistic (3-dimensional) look. No one treatment is perfect. Hair transplantation can never give you the complete fullness you once had, since it is just rearranging what you currently have. But hair transplants can give you a good hairline, adequate coverage, and even almost normal densities if the area covered is small.

SMP can give you the look of fullness but it will not be real hair, since it is like using concealers (think DermMatch or Toppik) but without the daily applications because it is permanent.

SMP First, Followed by a Hair Transplant (Photos)

The idea I had is, that I want to implant hair into my frontal micropigmentated area, but since I am young(only 23-Norwood 3 almost 4),I know that I will keep on losing my hair and the donor area is limited, so I am interested in speaking with my HT doctor, and convincing him to transplant me a smaller amount of hair only enough to give the impression of hair which will be accentuated by the micropigmentation. I think this could be a good idea, as I am ok with having a short haircut, like in the photos.

My problem is that I do not know if it would work for my frontal balding area, as most people who have combined SMP and HT seem to have had it done in their crown area.So I am really curious if any of you guys could give me any advice or opinion, as I am sure most of you know how depressed this whole ordeal this can make someone feel ,and any response would be greatly appreciated. I will try posting some photos down bellow of me and the length of hair of hair I’m interested in keeping and the bald/micropigmented area.

If you do Scalp Micropigmentation on the areas you showed, you must shave your head or it will not look good. I would advise against a hair transplant at this time. If you have a hair transplant later on, you can do this on top of your SMP. I just did someone this week who took this route. Having had SMP a few years ago, he decided recently to transplant the hair he needed above it so he could let his hair grow out.


2019-10-26 13:07:20SMP First, Followed by a Hair Transplant (Photos)

SMP and worried about turning gray

I’m 28 and have been on fin for just over 2 years. My hairloss was very slow and minor so it’s kept it completely stable. I do however feel my hair whorl is more prominent than it should be though and have been looking into micropigmentation as apparently it’s very good for something incredibly minor like this where a transplant would be ridiculous.

Has anybody had it done when they still have a ton of hair? I know it can look very un natural when it’s done all over on a bald head but I still thankfully have a ton of hair and only want it in a very small area. My concern is if it lasts for 6-7 years I could go grey in that time (only 4-5 grey hairs at the moment) and then the dark shading might shine through my grey hair and look weird. I’ve also heard micropigmentation turns blue or green over time? Lastly, if I ever did need to shave my head (god forbid) in X amount of years it would look super weird then if I had a very small patch of micropigmentation on the back of my head. I heard it can be lasered off quite easily but I presume you wouldn’t want to do that if you still have healthy hair follicles as that could kill them off?

The tattoo inks should be a shade of gray so that they stand up over time to the graying of your hair. That is the way we do it and it has been effective with many happy patients. See our website here: https://scalpmicropigmentation.com/ A special type of laser can remove it, or you can increase its use as your balding progresses. We have had many patient who followed up with hair transplants sometime after they got it.


2020-04-19 09:09:10SMP and worried about turning gray

SMP and Scarring Alopecia

I have lost alot of the hair on the sides of my head due to a form of scarring alopecia. Would it be possible to have micropigmentation done just on the sides as haircuts that are buzzed on the sides and a bit lengthy on top are very common and in style?

Generally, scarring alopecia with balding from it does well with Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP). We have done a few severe cases which I could show you if you visited my office. One particular patient who had very extensive scarring and balding would rather not have his photos online.

SMP and Future Hair Cloning?

Hi,
I read about Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) and I think this might be a good choice for me, because I am not candidates for hair transplant surgery. However, I am waiting for the day that the hair cloning technology can be used by people like me. My question is: Is SMP a barrier for future hair cloning?

Thanks

When properly designed, Scalp MicroPigmentation (SMP) can work with hair transplants and possibly with a good cloning process once cloning is practical. Hair cloning is “not ready for prime time”, but I expect that once it is viable, any good cloning procedure must restore a normal appearance, including the leading edge of the hairline which is critical to a normal look.

This process is often ignored by tattoo people who do SMP type of work, partly because the patient pushes a hairline design that may not be normal, or the tattoo person does not appreciate the blend between the natural balding process, the maturing hairline, and what they should look like.

The influence of someone like Dr. Pak (who designs all of our SMP work) is critical to the excellent results we obtain. I would imagine that the same conditions would apply to the cloning process.